Professional butchers in short supply in Lahore

Butchers, whether trained or untrained, have made all arrangements to do a roaring business on Eidul Azha in the provincial metropolis.

Under sizzling heat, the expert butchers are not only in short supply, but they are also charging advance exorbitant amounts in the city. They are deemed as a rare commodity especially on the first day of Eidul Azha, and they get innumerable orders despite demanding exorbitant charges for their services. Experienced butchers are charging as high as Rs15,000 to Rs20,000 for the first day of Eid for slaughtering a cow, as most of the wealthy people prefer sacrifice on the first day of Eid.

"For a cow or buffalo, they are demanding Rs15,000 to Rs18,000, which is an extremely high rate besides being out-of-reach of a salaried class or a white-collar person," Muneebur Rehman, a resident of Thokar Niaz Baig, said. He said experienced butchers were demanding Rs10,000 for slaughtering a sheep or a goat. The sacrificial animals were not cheap these days, and butchers, too, were expensive, Muneeb said.

He said that those who could afford a Rs150,000 cow could easily afford spending another Rs18,000 to 20,000. He said that it had forced most people to book their butchers for the second day of Eid for the sake of affordability. Rauf Ahmad, a professional butcher from Ichhra, said that a large number of jobless youth, untrained and seasonal butchers had sprung into action.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 26^th, 2023.